Dubbed a "narco-state", as much as 98% of Guinea Bissau's GDP—which is one of the lowest in the world—is attributed to the cashew nut, a crop that has overtaken much of the country's agriculture to the detriment of people's livelihoods.

The country has had, on average, one prime minister per year for the past decade, and no president has fulfilled his mandate due to cycles of coups and assassination. In 2012, President Malam Bacai Sanhá died in hospital in Paris, but two weeks before his death, another coup attempt had been put-down. The resulting elections ended in assassination and a military take-over.

Millions of dollars of cocaine are also transited through the country from South America, on their way to Europe's drug market. This trafficking is strongly linked to the country's military heads.